Tootsies Update

My life has righted itself. I got back to the gym. I got back to riding. Life is making sense again despite the ever mounting bills, the impossible task of finding an apartment that allows dogs that isnt eleventy billion dollars a month, stress at work and constant grad school homework.

Despite all the stress in life, horses give me focus and B's improvement gives me life.

Super, incredibly boring to some, but I find this barefoot thing fascinating. It has been just under a month (shy by a few days) since I said fuck it to shoes and kept them off entirely. However, his feet have been mostly bare for the better part of several months considering keeping shoes on was impossible. 

Personally I am counting my lucky stars and knocking on all the wood because B has hardly taken a a lame step or bobble since I stopped putting nails in his feet, and as of right now, his feet are doing great.

In need of a touch-up rasp

Some days they look pretty jagged, (like above), and others they look super smooth. As the nail holes grow out, his feet are starting to look a bit rough, but only on the edges. Underneath, magic is happening.

Behold, the tootsies.

RF

LF

I am literally mesmerized by them for some awkward reason, and have taken to staring at them on my phone during the most random parts of my work day. 

Boss: *walks in* Hey have you gotten any progress with the McCaughlin accou- what are you doing?

Me: *wipes away single tear, and hides phone* Just staring at my horses' feet, sorry

Boss *Looks at me questioningly* *quickly leaves*

For real though, I always forgot that horse feets are ALIVE and semi-squishy and really fucking cool and shoes are the actual worst.

I wish I could pull Yankee's shoes *le sigh*

Lets take a gander at these feets and their pretty drastic, yet small changes.

Biggest thing I notice, with my uneducated eye, is the frog expansion and the obvious, edges less jagged. Also, the foot is expanding slightly out and it almost has a polished look to it since every inch of the foot touches the ground with every step now. SO pretty. SO fascinating. 

With his problem foot, I see a MASSIVE difference in that frog. I mean seriously, look at it. LOOK AT IT. Its huge now! Those heels! That width! SWOON!

Also, not 100% sure if the flare on the outside edge is a good or a bad thing, but the farrier is rechecking him tomorrow (its been about 9 days since he was out last) to see if he needs a trim finally.

Regarding his soundness, hes been almost foot perfect. The indoor still gives him the ouchies, but the indoor turned to shit as soon as it got humid and the equipment was moved to the New Farm. I haven;t ridden him in there (no one has), but we have to walk across it to get to the outdoor. The outdoor has been wonderful for us, super fluffy and soft.

Two days ago he was ever so slightly tender because of the rain, but yesterday he was fantastic. We just went for a hack/conditioning ride beacuse 1) no jumps 2) ring flooded 3) he was a giant mudball

Yankee modeling his new look

We did laps around the field, 6 each direction, 2 per gait. and he felt incredible. I am still 1000% out of shape, so today we might either skip, lunge or just hack again because tomorrow we are hauling to New Farm to jump!

1 more week and then we move permanently! Stalls are being re-done as we speak! GAH.